Overview
- Sapporo prosecutors told the hunter’s lawyer Tuesday they had disposed of the rifle kept as evidence from the 2018 bear cull.
- The office said it had a signed paper in which the hunter gave up ownership of the gun.
- The attorney said the weapon should have been returned and is reviewing the steps that led to its destruction.
- Police had apologized and returned a different firearm on April 9 after a March Supreme Court ruling said the permit cancellation was an abuse of discretion.
- The hunter, who lost his permit in 2018 over concern that shots during a city request could hit nearby homes, said the discarded rifle was a late friend’s keepsake.